Hope for Andrè Kriek

29/05/2024

Hello Everyone! Fathers day is around the corner and I thought I'd make a little design for Fathers day to help with fundraising for my dad.
If you are interested please let me know. I'm selling digital versions for R80. You are welcome to customize it however you like. I can change the words below or change the photo text to 'dad', 'grandpa', 'oupa', etc. You are also welcome to order one for someone's birthday.

29/05/2024

Hello Everyone! Fathers day is around the corner and I thought I'd make a little design for Fathers day to help with fundraising for my dad.

If you are interested please let me know. I'm selling digital versions for R80. You are welcome to customize it however you like. I can change the words below or change the photo text to 'dad', 'grandpa', 'oupa', etc. You are also welcome to order one for someone's birthday.

15/05/2024

Hello everyone,

It's has been a while since my last post. Things have been quite busy. My dad had his birthday on the 8th of May and he and my mother went to look at the stars in Sutherland for his birthday. This was something he always wanted to do and he especially wanted to do it before starting with aggressive chemo therapy. They enjoyed the trip, but it was quite challenging because my dad's pain is increasing.

Before they went my dad had 5 rounds of radiation therapy. This is suppose to help with the pain, but it can take a few months before this starts to happen. Please pray with us for his pain to get better!

In terms of treatment, he got his operation today for his chemo port where they will administer the chemo. There were 'ooms' in the room after his surgery that had a lot of tales about when they were in the air force and my dad enjoyed it (I added a picture of him smiling). He will start his chemo on Friday. Please pray with us that it goes well.

Thank you again to everyone that has helped and loved my dad in this time. It has been quite rough and emotional for us as a family and your help really means a lot to us.

The first photo added is of my mom and dad on my dad's birthday and the other is him after his operation.

24/04/2024

Hello everyone,

It's been a while since my last update. I still don't have all of the new info but I will update as the information comes in. My dad found a new oncologist that is a little closer to him. This oncologist works with more conventional therapy options. My dad went for scans and they determined a way forward for him. This will involve a mix of radiation and chemo based on the new scans. We are still waiting to hear when this process will start.

In terms of finances, it seems like the medical aid will pay a small portion (around R250k per year) for cancer treatment entirely. However, this includes his ostomy bags, pain medication, and scans, which is already close to R100k and we are only now at the 4th month of the year and the new treatment has not been started as of yet. My dad also had to go into debt to pay for his previous cancer treatment so the financial need is still very high. I'm not sure what the new treatment plan will cost in its entirety, but we are expecting something more or less in the same ballpark as the previous treatment plan, which was R 800, 000. I wil update the back a buddy page once we know the exact amount.

Once again, thank you to everyone that has donated thus far. We are currently at R 131 864 in donations. I am in awe of God's goodness and faithfulness and just the generosity of people. Thank you so much for every contribution, no matter how small. We appreciate it so so much!

If you would still like to donate here's the details:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/cancer-treatment-funds-for-andr

You can also reach out to me directly if you'd like to pay into his bank account.

Online campaigns to raise funds for causes you are passionate about. Free Campaign Support. Proudly South African. Trusted For 11 Years. Types: NPO Funding, Individual Cause Funding, Charity Funding.

04/04/2024

Hello everyone,

We went to visit my dad over the easter weekend. We had a full house with me and my husband and two little ones, my sister, my brother, my two aunts, my grandma, and my dad's brother visiting over the course of the weekend. I think it meant a lot to him to have his loved ones with him.

Here's a picture of him with his two granddaughters, Lisa and Milanè, that was taken over the weekend. My dad is still going strong and is positive. He's trusting God for healing and funds for his treatment.

On a side note, we are trying to see if we can get treatment for him at a place that is closer to Hartbeespoort. Please pray with us that we find the right oncologist. The drive every week to Parys is very tiring and takes a toll on both my mom and dad.

In terms of funds, we have already raised a massive R 95 564. This would not have been possible without your help! Thank you so much!

Please continue to share this page and the funding details. We appreciate every type of support, whether through prayer, sharing, or financial contribution. My dad is in awe of all the love and support that he has received over the past few months! Thank you for loving him!

God bless!

28/03/2024

I'm trying to raise funds for my dad, Andrè Kriek, who was diagnosed with re**al cancer in September 2023. He already had surgery to remove his large intestine in 2011, due to complications from ulcerative colitis, which he had for as long as I can remember with regular flair ups and frequent hospitalization through my entire childhood. They had to remove his intestine because of the risk of cancer and his small intestine was used to create a pouch to replace his large intestine.

This set-up worked well until 2022, where the pouch started getting regular infections. On his birthday in May 2023 we all went away as a family together and things started getting worse. He was in so much pain he could barely walk the entire time that we were there. From there on things only got worse to a point where he had it checked out and it turned out to be stage 3 re**al cancer. The cancer was blocking his intestines and so he had to get surgery (ileostomy) to receive an ostomy bag. They left his pouch in hope of one day being able to connect it again and for them to remove the bag.

After receiving the news of cancer he weighed his options and searched for a medical team that had good results with re**al cancer. His doctor advised him not to receive surgery as this will aggravate the cancer, and according to the doctor and his knowledge, cases where this type of cancer was surgically removed the patients only lived for a maximum of 8 months. So this was not an option. The doctor also advised against radiation as this would damage other organs and cause a lot of other problems. Traditional chemo also has very poor results on this type of cancer.

He found a doctor in Parys (SA), Dr. Lindeque and his team. They have very good results with an alternative chemo and he started the treatment. A lot of different treatment options were tested on his exact cancer to find the best combination of treatment options to target the cancer.

There was some good progress and his cancer started shrinking. However, with his cancer payout he only managed to pay for 5 treatments. Since this is an alternative chemo treatment, the medical aid does not pay for anything. This is why we are desperately in need of funds for him to continue his treatment. My dad has not been able to sit normally for almost a year. He also cannot drive because he has too much pain. He still has to work, and luckily he has a job that can be performed remote and from home, but he does so in a lying position. He said to me that he looks forward to a day where he can sit normally again. He is in a position where he cannot take off from work to recover and every time he gets treatment he has to try and work the hours back. This is horrible because the chemo takes a big toll on his body and leaves him very tired. He's not in a condition to work, but has no choice because of bills that need to be paid. He works long hours and late nights just to try and keep up.

My hope with this campaign is two-fold. I know it's a lot of money and that the chances of reaching this amount is slim, but my hope is this: that he can stop worrying about the hours that he missed at work and allow his body the rest that it needs to recover. The stress about work is almost taking a bigger toll on him than the cancer itself. The other more obvious reason is to raise money for him to be able to continue his treatment. According to the doctor the full treatment will cost around R800 000. However, this is only for cancer treatment (chemo).

He got an abscess from the fluid draining from the cancer that also gets ozone treatment on a regular basis. He gets laser treatment that helps with cancer treatment and a few drips every week. His iron levels dropped to an alarmingly low level and he also receives regular iron drips for this. It might also be necessary for him to get a blood transfusion for his red blood cells to return to normal levels. Aside from this my parents travel from Hartbeespoort to Parys every week for my dad to receive this treatment. They stay over at a place in Parys and also have to pay for the petrol there. All of this adds up and the costs are just too much to keep up with at this point. Then of course there's the medicine and his dietary changes that also adds to the extra costs not included in the doctor's estimated amount.

If you are reading this please don't feel like what you have to give is too little to make a difference. Every R10 can help to lift their financial burden in some way. Yes, R10 cannot make a difference in terms of the treatment, but if a few people donate R10, it can help with petrol money, or it can help pay for their stay in Parys. And, if you are not in any position to donate, you can still help by sharing this link to reach more people. Please don't underestimate the difference you can make by just taking the time to share. Thank you for reading his story!

https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/cancer-treatment-funds-for-andr

28/03/2024

Hello everyone!! Just a small update from my side. We've already reached R 47 220 in donations!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! That's all I can say. I really am so thankful for every one that has contributed. You ARE making a difference... My dad is feeling less alone in this journey. He feels seen and loved!

We are going to visit him over easter. We look forward to seeing him and loving him in this way too. Lisa (my little girl) is looking forward to seeing her 'oupa' and to play with him.

I hope you all have a blessed easter with your loved ones. I'll send some updates later. Love you all and be blessed!

If you feel in your heart that you want to contribute I'll attach the link below. Also, please if you you are up to it, could you share the link and this page on your social media accounts or with your friends and family? We really need all the help we can get.

Thank you!

Online campaigns to raise funds for causes you are passionate about. Free Campaign Support. Proudly South African. Trusted For 11 Years. Types: NPO Funding, Individual Cause Funding, Charity Funding.

27/03/2024

I want to thank everyone that has already opened their hearts and made donations. The donations that we already received is enough to pay for his next set of medicine.

I was on the phone this morning with my mom and she said they were so thankful to see that people actually donated that they cried. This means so much to us!! The medicine that he needs costs R6000 in total.

He has a hospital visit this morning to meet with a doctor at Unitas. I will keep you posted!

Thank you again for helping and loving my dad!

26/03/2024

We are in the humbling position to ask help from the public and our community of friends and family for my dad’s cancer treatment. This is a very big step for us as a family, to open up our lives to those around us, since we’ve been a very reserved, private and close family all our lives up until this point. My dad’s cancer diagnosis came as a shock and has changed our lives in the past few months. Not all of the changes were bad. We’ve discovered how many people love and care for us, we’ve seen financial breakthroughs with my sister’s study loan being paid in full by the bank (up until this year), and so much more. God has really been busy even in the tough times!

On this page we try to be transparent and invite you along to follow, and share in our story, my father’s cancer journey. Please share this page where you can. This cancer is bigger than what we as a family can afford, but if the financial burden is shared we hope that my father can get the treatment he needs. We really do need the help of our community, because without your support it won’t be possible. We trust God for a miracle and hope to share that miracle with you on this page. Thank you for your love and support during this difficult time, be it financial, in your prayers, visiting or calling my dad, words of encouragement, or by sharing this post. We appreciate it more than we can say in words.

I will try to stay as active as possible on this page, with updates of how he is doing and what we are busy with in terms of fund raising so that you can see for yourself what your support is going towards. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this and for every person that has already opened their hearts!

If you want to make a donation, no matter how big or small, I've set up an account where you can do that. Here's the link: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/cancer-treatment-funds-for-andr

Thanks again for your support!

Online campaigns to raise funds for causes you are passionate about. Free Campaign Support. Proudly South African. Trusted For 11 Years. Types: NPO Funding, Individual Cause Funding, Charity Funding.